Fortunate Sons
by R. U. Kidding Me
Summary: The Mane Six will not live forever. It only makes sense they should leave their element to their own flesh and blood. But first, you must have a successor, no?


The sun blazed like a fiery beam, drenching the land in unbearable heat. In the towns throughout the valley, the markets bustled with the purchase of well, whatever would cool you off. The local college (the only form of higher education in the region for those not fortunate enough to make it to a fancy university in the capitol) had let out for break, and the students had begun pouring into Ponyville to do whatever they damn wanted. Three stallions strolled through the markets, crushing under the strain of boredom. The oldest, a white unicorn with a Royal Blue mane and tail, rolled his head to stretch his neck muscles, long underused from leaning over and studying.

"Luna, kill me where I fucking stand..." His Britannic drawl amplified the aggravation in his voice. "I know, the heat's unbearable, man. Let's stop over at the stand and see how Abbie's doing." The orange stallion to his left suggested. " Aight, Wabash, but as long as Ray doesn't get completely blasted like last time." The Unicorn stallion shot back. "Fuck off, Floyd! One damn time and you fellas never let me hear the fucking end of it!" The blue pegasus complained. "You flashed Abbie, who's my girlfriend, in case you haven't already figured out, mate, so I'll give you as much shit as I please!" Floyd retorted.

They continued strolling through the alleys and streets of the market place before they came to the stand selling just about anything that could be conceivably made from apples. Behind the counter was a beautiful young mare with round, sudden curves, a shining cream yellow coat, and a fiery red mane tied back with a small pink band. She immediately turned to face the trio and shook her hips to free up some tension in the region and catch the boys' "attention". They immediately took notice, although Ray was careful not to do anything to get arrested this time.

"Hey, Honey." Applebloom greeted Floyd with a peck on the cheek. "Hey Junior. And peashooter." She cast a glance at the blue pegasus, causing him to avert his gaze. "No hard feelings Ray." She reassured him. "What'll y'all have?" She asked. They all got their usual and chatted some more. "So how's your ma?" Wabash asked. "Fucked up as usual. Screaming in my ear like a damn drill sergeant one minute, getting blasted with groupies and waking up in bed with a drug addict the next. It weren't for the fact that she's part of some group of super heroes, she'd just be another washed up, has-been athlete. Trying to use me to live up to her failed expectations." Ray complained.

"Sucks. At least you have a chance to break free, since yer ma'll be dead from alcohol poisoning by the time ya out of school." said Wabash. "Mine 'll being hanging over me till the damn day I die." He continued. "You know what we need? We need something to take our minds off of all this." Floyd said. "Like what?" Ray asked. "How about I race you guys to Ever's place and back?" Floyd offered. "Sure, why not?" The three then took off for the cottage on the edge of town. The afternoon air was a relief as they galloped along the dirt road.

As they climbed first hill on the road, Floyd suddenly kicked into magnificent run. This immediately took his companions off guard, causing them to over-exert themselves as they struggled to catch up. The young stallion was a case in defying equine genetics. As long as history had gone back, Unicorns where the most inferior species in terms of body strength, relying on their magic to destroy and blackmail their opponents. Ability of this kind in the athletic field was unheard of for their race. Yet, in a display of total control as he leapt over bushes, fallen trees, and holes in the ground, the Unicorn stallion kept well ahead of his peers. It was every track and field coach's dream come true. A sudden drop swept into a wide plain, with a railroad line forming the border between the clearing and the adjacent forest.

The whistle of the 4:15 to St. Loft sounded in the distance. The three charged the crossing at full speed, Floyd at the lead, the other two following by no more than a tale's length. The unicorn stallion seemed to speed up further with every yard traversed. The Engineer frantically pulled the chord, the whistle wailing like a banshee as the massive locomotive bore down on the crossing. Floyd was first over the crossing, with Wabash not far behind. Ray, however, knew could not make the jump in one bound without his wings, so he briefly broke the rules to avoid becoming the steam punk equivalent of a bug on a windshield.

The road swerved sharply between the trees, swooping violently back and forth, the dirt road zigzagging back and forth until, finally they reached the top of the hill. What awaited them made them stop dead in their tracks. "FLOYD WINSTON BELLE!" Floyd cringed at the voice of the mare he sometimes, no, **always** found himself wishing wasn't his mother. "Godamnit!" The mothers of the other two racers were standing next to her as well. The earth pony mare marched up to her son and stared him right in the eye. "Junior, you get your behind back to the farm before I whoop it to kingdom come, no excuse!" She snapped at her son. "Okay, ma, I'm coming." He said, apprehension filling his voice. She dragged him off into the distance, the other two mares watching for a while until snapping back to their own offspring.

"Ray, did I or did I not tell you to get your fat ass back to the house for our exercise regiment?" Rainbow Dash asked, hovering a few feet in the air. "Yeah, but-" "Shut the fuck up! We are getting out of here!" The young pegasus stallion tossed his friend a quick "see ya" before leaping into the air and flying off into the distance, the older mare barking various orders at him all the way. Floyd and Rarity stood in total silence for the next minute, before the stallion finally spoke. "So, are going to nag me to death at home or here? How about here so it'll be over with quick?" He sneered. "I'll have no such attitude from you, young stallion! You have a lot of explaining to do!"

"As if you'd listen. But I suppose I must. Tell me, mum. As a teen, did you ever had a need to blow off steam? Did ever think, 'gee I need a break from this nonsense'? Did that process involve activities that seem bad in hindsight? Your mind blanking out whatever concerns your rational mind would have immediately brought to light?" He asked. "Certainly not!" Rarity snapped back. "Waltzing out into the wilderness alone to collect gems? What could POSSIBLY go wrong?" He sneered. "I must do these things to put down payment of the house we live in!" She retorted. "Don't try to bullshit me about that. We both know Grandpa bought you that shop!" He snapped.

XXXXX

The door to the shop slowly opened. The quiet house was filled by the sound of bickering. "Why don't you make yourself useful and put the dishes away? I have an important date tonight." She said. "Oh, looking for Daddy Dearest Number Five?" He snapped. "How dare you! I try to find a father figure for y-" "Why don't you try finding a mother figure instead? I certainly can't find one around here!" He cut her off. "You need a proper authority to teach you respect, young stallion." She said in a tone menacing to anybody but her disillusioned son. "I'm fucking tired of this shit! All I hear from you is one sided condemnation! You always expect from me what you never lifted a fucking hoof to get for yourself!"

He walked slowly but tensely up the stairs and into his room. But, instead of slamming his door as usual, he reappeared moments later with duffel bag slung over his back. "You're not going! I forbid you!" The mare protested. "Fuck off." He snapped, albeit not very loudly, as he walked out the door. Rarity lunged for the door, only for it to be slammed in her face. As Floyd strolled down the street, he felt the cool breeze blowing in his face. He felt, almost, for a fleeting moment, at peace. For a moment, he was able to forget that he spent most nights like this, looking to sleep anyplace, anywhere, but the house where all those bitter memories had been forged.

He still remembered one night, between her third and fourth husbands, she came into his room, obviously drunk. He was perhaps, ten. She began yelling about something he couldn't understand. Than, finally she smacked him across the face. He spent the rest of the night in the bushes. Ever since, he always vacated the premises after he had an argument his mother. Even as he grew much stronger than the delicate mare as he grew to adulthood, he gave her a wide berth, possibly from a voice in the back of his head realized that he would be tempted to retaliate against that very blow. Perhaps, part of him wanted to spare what little bit of her enjoyment of motherhood remained.

He did everything he could to put that particular memory behind him. This was not the moment to get lost in thought. He was going to catch a cold, the way the weather was at night. Finally, the apartment building came into view. He gave a quick knock on the door, which was immediately answered by a unicorn mare the same age as Applebloom. Her coat of white was identical to that of Floyd and Rarity's, while her curly, incredibly thick mane was divided length-wise between two shades of purple. "Floyd, is everything okay? Did you have another fight?" She asked. "Yes, Sweets, I'm serious about this being the last time. I'm done with this. Can I crash here for a bit?" He affirmed. "Floyd," Sweetie Belle started nervously, "I've been evicted." She managed weakly. "What?" he said, surprised. The landlord said I've got three days to leave." By the time she finished the sentence, she was in tears. He put his a hoof over her shoulder. "It's okay. I'm sure Cosmo's Mum wouldn't mind us crashing at their place until you can find another job and I get out of school."

As they walked to the library together, he was still pouring over the memories in his mind. All the "father figures" his mother had brought home over the years, how much she always said she loved him and wanted him to have a dad. He remembered number one vaguely, almost as a dream of sorts. He got along fairly well with him, but Husband #1 clashed constantly with his mother, to the point that she threw him out over a very trivial matter one night, to which he retaliated by tossing a Molotov cocktail through the window. Twilight Sparkle quickly dosed the fire by levitating water from the river, but #1 was long gone. #2 was something of a copy of Floyd's biological father. He and Rarity had a mutual interest in clothing, but he was also like Velvet Mane in that he was constantly abusive. Rarity simply sat in a corner and wept whenever he snapped, but Floyd finally had enough and sent the stallion three times his age packing.

Then there was #3, the quiet one. He always worked nights, but brought home a handsome paycheck. He worked at night, waltzing off to a bar at the other end of town. Neither Rarity nor Floyd could never figure out what he actually did over there, because the building had no windows, and because he said he was a government agent, they gave him a bit of distance after a while. One night, he simply disappeared. #4 never actually saw her, as he simply walked out on Rarity at the altar, for reasons unknown to anybody but himself, but Floyd had more than a few guesses.

Snapping back to the present, they arrived at the library and Floyd gave the door a knock. Twilight Sparkle answered the door, and acknowledged Floyd with a quick greeting, as her house was the second choice of his to crash after a fight with his mother after his Aunt's apartment, but was significantly more alarmed by Sweetie Belle's presence, as she was not as up to date on Sweetie Belle's status, though Sweetie Belle was quick to inform her on the situation. She finally sighed and said "I should have seen this coming." Nonetheless, she invited them in, and had Floyd put his stuff on the extra bed in Cosmo's room that he usually spent his nights away from home at, while Sweetie Belle was shown to the guest room.

As Floyd tossed his things onto the bed, he heard a familiar voice ask casually from the computer desk at the corner of the room. "Hey, had another fight with your mom?" "Does the sun rise in the morning and go down at night?" He retorted. "I figured as such. How long do you think you'll be crashing for?" The dark blue stallion with an unkempt yellow mane asked. "I'm gonna stay until Aunt Sweets can get together enough money for an apartment, seeing as she fell behind on the rent for her old one." Floyd explained. "Surprise, surprise." Cosmo muttered. "Now what do you mean by that?" He demanded. "She dropped outta High School to pursue a singing career. What did you expect? I don't hold it against her, since she's the one dealing with the consequences, but the music industry is not known for job security." Cosmo was always the technical one, always determined to speak the truth, even when it wasn't socially acceptable, let alone necessary.

"Alright, mate, I get your point. Anyway, how things been going for you?" Floyd tried to steer the conversation to anything but his royally screwed up family. "Meh. I might go back for a post-graduate degree. I always wanted to be the one behind the big fancy desk in the lecture hall anyway." Cosmo said nonchalantly. The young unicorn stallion always emitted a feeling of relaxation around him. Whenever there was a stressful situation, he kept his head when everybody else was losing theirs. Floyd recalled the time when they had gone hunting for one of Fluttershy's rabbits that had escaped. They were only colts at the time, which was probably why they didn't ask for an adult's help. They followed the rabbit deep into the Everfree Forrest, quickly losing track of time. Just as they had caught the rabbit, a timber wolf showed up, The others began screaming and diving for cover of some sort. In a moment of genius, however, the young colt lit used his magic to start a few small sparks, which quickly set the timber wolf aflame and screaming back into the depths of the woods. A few minutes later, Twilight Sparkle and the other element bearers arrived at the scene, and were amazed to see their offspring in one piece.

Of course, he certainly had the genes to help him. In addition to his mother's obsession with studying magic, his father, Sea Star, made a name for himself as a surgeon, especially when dealing with injuries relate to boating. When he and one of his older brothers, Cape Runner, were at the docks in Baltimare, Cape got his hoof stuck in a machine and it was severed. The young colt instantly sprang into action, using a nearby rope as a tourniquet, he stopped the blood rushing from Cape Runner's hoof, and retrieved the severed limb, which was reattached at the hospital. He then sudden noticed his cute mark: a starfish and red cross.

Suddenly, Twilight Sparkle came into the room. The unicorn sat down on the bed and stroke the young stallions mane. This he was comfortable with, as the other unicorn in the bearers of the Elements of Harmony had become the mother he never had. "So, what happened?" She asked. He explained the events that had transpired earlier that day. "Well, I can't say I'm impressed with your judgment. But I understand what you were trying to tell her. Rarity sure can be stubborn sometimes, but I've known her for years. She a good pony who's going through some rough times, so she may not have the best judgment." She said. "I know, it's just, I wish she'd stop searching for a 'father figure'" He cringed at the phrase "and just be me fuckin mum." He finished. "Listen, we'll have a talk with Rarity tomorrow. For now, just get some sleep." She requested.

The next morning, Floyd dragged himself out of bed and strolled downstairs to the kitchen. The family had already set up breakfast, and there was a plate set out for him. The smell of eggs and pancakes woke him up fairly quickly. He stared at the stallion across the table, examining the speed with which he gulped down his breakfast. Thanks to the many nights spent at the library, he knew Sea Star, the Surgeon General of Equestria, was a peculiar figure. In his native Baltimare, he was totally out of place, being a unicorn in a predominately earth pony City. His father was an earth pony townie who had been fortunate enough to meet a young unicorn mare from the wealthy corner of town. Thanks to the cluster fuck that is pony genetics, he had the misfortune of being born the only unicorn offspring of the couple. As a result, he was always an outcast, in his community, and in the social circles of his mother, and he was often dragged into the latter due to his mother's social obligations.

Floyd and Twilight Sparkle headed for the boutique the next morning, and were surprised to find the shopkeeper did not come to the door, which was locked. Twilight fiddled the door open with her magic, and they proceeded upstairs to find Rarity fast asleep. The mare had no stench of alcohol (a surprise to her son) and was woken quite easily. They discussed the situation with Sweetie Belle. They were civil towards each other, as they always were around third parties. They talked about their feelings, but really, they both knew it was futile. Rarity said she'd sent money to Sweetie Belle, but Floyd had heard this from Rarity the moment Sweetie Belle had announced she was dropping out of high school to pursue a music career. The money NEVER came. Afterwards, Floyd said his goodbyes to the mares and headed off to see someone of the female persuasion who was much younger.

The crisp country air outside the town was refreshing, to say the least. As he strolled down the dirt road, he couldn't help but think about his future with Applebloom. She was independent in every sense of the word, but Applejack was incredibly protective of her family, meaning that the very existence of their relationship drew her ire and, inevitably, interference. He'd been attracted to the older filly since he was in grade school, but Applejack didn't take it seriously until the unicorn stallion was in middle school. Her resistance escalated over time, but by then, it was too late. Both had with both forelegs grasped the argument of Applebloom's independence, and the fact that she had overtaken Applejack as the biggest provider on the farm. She could not refute it for she had not even the slightest debating skills, and physical intervention was out of the question because one was her own flesh and blood, and the other the offspring of one of her closest acquaintances.

The entry sign to Sweet Apple Acres slowly came into view quite quickly. The orchard seem to go on for eternity, until, finally the quaint little farm house came into view. The wooden creaked beneath his hooves as walked onto the porch. The red earth pony stallion standing by the door looked up. "How's things, Floyd?" he asked. "Good. How about you Big Mac? Everything running smoothly?" Floyd asked. "Eeyup." Suddenly, Applebloom appeared at the top of the stairwell. "Hey, Floyd, I just finished getting ready. You ready?" She asked, brushing up against the unicorn stallion. "Sure, let's go." He said, eagerly. As the two walked out the door, Big Mac exclaimed "You kids have fun tonight!"

As the two strolled down the country lane back into town, Applebloom began to talk of her family's situation. "Everything's just fallen apart at the seams! Granny's died, Big Mac needs an operation on his back, and AJ can't figure out where the money goes!" The young mare bemoaned. "That makes two of us then. Sweets got evicted and I've walked out on my own mother. So, yes, everything has fallen apart. But you know what, let's just take our minds off of that and have a good time. What do you say I take you to Stillwater's?" The stallion tried desperately to turn the conversation away from family problems.

As they continued through the forest, Floyd's mind began to wander. He began to think of his plans, or, rather, lack thereof. He had a girlfriend, perhaps future wife, and what did he have to offer her? No house, no job, and (for the most part) the complete ire of his remaining relatives. His talent was for a industry that was shaky at the best of times and hopeless during anything less. He'd worked stints as a roadie before, but it was not exactly a top paying job. It probably wasn't the best time to think on the matter, being on a date, but he could not help it.

He always had something to prove in regards to Applebloom's older sister. Her constant questioning of his values and work ethic was unceasing, and while infuriating, was not always unjustified given his inability to hold a steady job. Still, there were times when he wonder if the older mare simply wished to deny her sister what she had been stripped of far too soon out of sheer spite. Still, the yellow and read mare was all he had, aside from his aunt, who was the only pony in creation worse at retaining a job than him.

The building with the massive sign "Stillwater's" came into view before he could think anymore. "Alright, honey, tonight's couples night. Guess what that means!" She said, in a cajoling tone. "I think I do." He said, his tail caressing Applebloom's. The night came and went quickly, and by one or two in the morning the couple was heading back to farm. They talked about future plans and such, and it was a very pleasant walk, right up until they were met at the gate by the family matriarch.

"Applebloom, what did I tell you about being out late with **him?**" Applejack drawled. Applebloom quickly shot back, "I'm tired of bossin' me round like this Applejack! I do more than my fair share of work! Maybe even more than you!" She yelled. "Not likely. I am still your big sis-, so". "She's right. She's the one busting her ass out in the field all day while you hang around on the porch with Ray's mum." Applejack gave the stallion a look of pure hatred and growled "You wanna say that to my face again?" He was only emboldened by her threat. "Fuck yes."

Before he could take her up on the offer, however, another voice broke into the argument. "For fuck's sake Ma!" "WABASH! What did I tell you about speaking to me like that?" She replied, not expecting the slightest trouble from her only child. She had never met much resistance from him, but now was a particularly inconvenient time. "Why the fuck do you always have to put your nose where it don't belong?! Floyd ain't never hurt nobody who wasn't hurtin' somebody else!" The young stallion marched right up in his mother's face and continued. "It's about fucking time you show some respect for him. What has he ever done to you? Or **Rainbow Dash** for that matter?"

One moment everything was still, the next, Wabash was had a hoof over his nose and was limping away as fast as his three remaining legs could carry him. Applejack froze, and looked down at her outstretched foreleg to see a small dash of blood. Applebloom was already running in the other, and Applejack could already hear her trying in vain to suppress her sobs. "You disgust me." Floyd turned and went off after Applebloom. Applejack simply stood there. She stood there for about a minute before she slumped to the ground and began tearing up.


End file.
